Monthly Archives: November 2012

There have been a lot of articles flying around about this recently and I have even had some non-industry folk chirping in my ear regarding this topic. One stock broker friend told me that “Facebook is public now so they are going to fall apart as they constantly need to cater to investors and it will prove that their platform is a house of cards and never had any real value. Brands have been using it for free and now they will need to “pay to play” and they will leave as a result of it”
*Note this is all from someone who does not have a personal Facebook user account and thinks it is for “flirting with old girlfriends and can only get him in trouble with his wife.” And while that is true, there is much more to it of course!

Although I think he has taken it a tad too far and I don’t agree with the final picture that he paints, I do have to agree that there have been changes here and there that are pushing you to “pay” more than you had before. Now I cannot hate on a business for wanting to make money, but it is important to make sure you balance revenue with product integrity. The jury is still out on whether or not they have become too imbalanced in that regard, but it is worth keeping a very close eye on.

It does appear that overall reach is down since September 20th as Facebook “optimized” news feed rules, and I can say that on certain client accounts it has been much harder to earn the same reach as it was prior. Other accounts have been doing better than ever before though, so I am not totally sold on its true impact YET.

I read this exchange on the EdgeRank Checker Blog and I thought it provides some good insight from different sides and has some real comments from other Fan Page Managers out there. Worth a read, and so I have shared it with you!

The intense winds and rain have stopped in the New York metro area, but the devastation in neighborhoods still lingers for many. Some of my friends only lost power for a few days and had to drive miles just to see electricity and be able to shower. Others had it much worse and lost their houses, cars and even boats during the surges. This is a time where everyone has to not be selfish, and lend a hand to a friend, neighbor or even a random person in need.

Some major brands are taking on the initiative to back up their valued customers, and it is not going without notice. One major brand that sticks out to me is AT&T because they have proactively setup pods outside of the NYC food and water distribution locations so that users could come and recharge and reconnect with the world. The storm knocked out some of the towers for local wireless carriers, making something as simple as phone calls in NYC nearly impossible for many. I cant speak to the other cell phone service providers as I didnt see what they did, but AT&T to be was very visible during the aftermath!

Other notable efforts made by companies and organizations: JetBlue is matching customer donations up to the first $50,000 donated to the American Red Cross, and also offering 6 points per dollar to their TrueBlue members. The NFL Players Association donated $1 million to the Sandy Relief Effort. The media giant News Corp., which owns Fox News and Fox Business Network, donated $1 million to charity, half of it to help NYC, and half for New Jersey. eBay and iTunes are allowing users to donate money to the American Red Cross right through their interface making donations as easy as a click of the mouse. Even Time Warner in NYC (not always loved for their customer service and support) is donating $1 million to the relief effort as well.

These brands know that they have to be there for their loyal customers and I think their efforts will be remembered by a lot of people in this area. They have won big from a Public Relations standpoint, regardless of their underlying motives. If you are a brand or major company you should donate some money or set up a strategy to help out the people in need, and it will go much further towards positive brand perception and overall value than any advertisement could!